Good list of Safety/Match/Reach Schools?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I've done lots of research to come up with this list to make sure I could be happy at any one of them, and before I narrowed it down further (I don't want to apply to more than 8 schools, preferably 7 max. — and I'm done looking at colleges, so suggestions aren't useful) I would like input on whether my placement of schools as safeties, matches, and reaches is fair. I have ranked the schools as follows: </p>

<p>Safety:
Washington State University - financially and academically</p>

<p>Match:
Seattle University
University of Puget Sound
Willamette University
St. Lawrence University
Skidmore College*
Occidental College*</p>

<p>Reach:
College of William & Mary*
Colorado College</p>

<p>Asterisk mark schools I'm especially uncertain about, in regards to placement.</p>

<p>And my stats are below:</p>

<p>Class Rank: 2 of 296
Cumulative GPA: 3.978
SAT Reasoning: 2030 - CR: 650, M: 610, W: 770
SAT Subject: Chemistry: 690, Math II: taking Dec. 1st
Intended Study: Exercise Science and Neuroscience
----Course Load:
9th - Honors Science & English (junior high system, APs not available)
10th - Honors English, APWH (4)
11th - APUSH (4), AP Lang. (3), AP Psych. (5), AP Chem. (5), and 1 extra class (semester)
12th - AP Lit., AP French, AP Calc. AB, AP Bio., and I have 2 extra classes (both full year)
----Honors & Awards:
*President’s Award for Educational Excellence - 9th
*Academic Letter Award - 10th, 11th
*AP Scholar with Distinction, 11th
*Most Improved JV Player, 9th
*Athletic Letter Award, Soccer - 11th, 12th
*Perfect Attendance First Semester - 11th
(possible soccer awards for 12th pending)
Note: I'm probably not a recruitable athlete even for DIII
----EC/Volunteer/Work:
* Player, Soccer Team, Fall of 9th-12th
Junior Varsity player 9th & 10th. Varsity player 11th & 12th.
Most Improved 9th. Joined Varsity for 2010 (10th) playoffs and districts.
* Member, National Honor Society, 11th-12th
* Childcare Provider for neighbor, 2009-Present
The event prepares Thanksgiving meals for the homeless, and distributes donated products. Total hours: 24 (9 in 11th, 15 in 12th — snowed-in in 10th)
----Other info:
First generation
Family commitments (family of 8) + $ regulated my activities</p>

<p>Thank you in advance for your help!</p>

2

<p>Are they all within reach financially? (check net price calculators)</p>

3

<p>I appreciate your input, but I’d prefer to keep the discussion on my question, not financial matters. I understand that finances are important, but this is not the financial aid section nor is it the essence of my question.</p>

4

<p>Finances are an integral part of the reach/match/safety assessment.</p>

<p>A financial match is probably affordable. A financial reach is possibly affordable based on a merit scholarship that is a reach for you. Those which are not affordable on need-based aid, and which do not have any in-reach merit scholarships are not worth bothering applying to.</p>

<p>Reach/match/safety is based on the more difficult of admissions and financial reach/match/safety.</p>

5

<p>Apologies for my abruptness. I didn’t realize net price calculators gave an overview of possible scholarships and aid, and so far I’ve only addressed how these colleges generally distribute aid - i.e. I’ve looked at how much need-based aid they tend to give. I’ll take a look at the net calculators for each school tomorrow with my parents and give an update on the financial situation then. Again, apologies, as I’m just slightly overwhelmed with choosing colleges at this point since most everyone has already finalized their lists (and some have finished apps completely!).</p>

6

<p>Here’s how I’d evaluate them based solely on the school’s net price calculator information: High Safety/Match: Skidmore, St. Lawrence, Occidental, Colorado College; High Match/Reach: Willamette, W&M, Seattle U; Reach: UPS</p>

7

<p>Basically, the net price calculator results mean that you need to move Puget Sound to the “reach” category, and Seattle and Willamette to the “high match / low reach” category.</p>

<p>This means that, if your admission assessments are correct, you have three “matches” (Skidmore, St. Lawrence, and Occidental), two “high matches / low reaches” (Seattle and Willamette), and three “reaches” (Puget Sound, Colorado, William & Mary). That does look different from the six “matches” and two “reaches” that you had going strictly by your admission assessments, although some people would still consider it a reasonable well balanced list (since you do have a solid safety in WSU).</p>

<p>Also, is it correct that you have already verified that all colleges have your desired majors and academic programs? If not, do that before finalizing your list. (Is it also correct that UW is not on your list due to lack of courses in exercise biology, although it does have neurobiology?)</p>

8

<p>Thank you for your help. :slight_smile: Do you think applying to all those, minus Puget Sound, would be a good list? Should I cut another school, and if so, should it be a low reach/reach school? </p>

<p>I have indeed verified that all the colleges have either both my majors, or otherwise have sufficient courses and flexibility to allow me to study whichever one they don’t have. And that is a correct assumption (among other things).</p>

9

<p>Since I am not too familiar with the schools, I can only give baseline criteria for an application list.</p>

<p>a. The list should have a certain-admit certain-affordability safety that is academically suitable for you and which you like. Assuming WSU matches these criteria, you have that. (Some people prefer to have more than one safety.)</p>

<p>b. Any other school on the list should be one which you could conceivably choose over your safety. If there is no circumstance in which you would choose the school over your safety, there is no point in applying.</p>

<p>Beyond that, what goes on your list depends on your preferences in schools, and how much time and application fees you want to spend to gain possible additional choices in April. If you want to prune your list, consider your order of preference among the schools and consider pruning less desirable non-safeties (particularly less desirable reaches if any of your reaches are not at the top of your desirability list).</p>

10

<p>Thank you, again. I’ll have to look at some of the schools (W&M, St. Lawrence, Seattle U) more before I can decide if option b applies, and then I’ll decide whether to narrow it further.</p>

<p>Does anyone else have opinions on which of these are academically safeties, matches, or reaches? I’m especially uncertain above the three that are asterisked, so any feedback on those would be greatly appreciated.</p>

11

<p>Would you be happy attending WSU? If so you’re fine. Otherwise you need to find another safety.</p>

12

<p>I would be happy attending WSU.</p>